1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pedal device provided on a vehicle such that a pedal operated by the vehicle operator is pivotably supported. More particularly, this invention is concerned with a technique for minimizing a degree of contact of an operator's leg with a steering device of the vehicle upon application of an external force to the vehicle while the operator's foot is placed on or near the pedal.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, there is disposed a steering device in front of the vehicle operator. The steering device is a device for operating a steering mechanism. Upon application of an external force to the vehicle in a direction from the vehicle front to the rear, the operator is moved forward due to an inertia, with a result of forward movements of the operator's legs toward the steering device, leading to a possibility of the leg or legs contacting the steering device.
There have been proposed some measures to minimize the degree of contact of the operator's legs with the steering device. One proposed measure is to hold the vehicle operator with a seat belt for thereby restricting the forward movement of the operator. Another proposed measure is to provide the steering device with a knee protector for directly reducing the degree of contact of the operator's knees with the steering device. An example of such a knee protector is disclosed in JP-U-1-73464 (laid-open Publication of Japanese Utility Model Application published in 1989).
As a result of a research in an effort to minimize the degree of contact of the operator's legs with the steering device, the inventor of the present invention found that for minimizing the degree of contact of an operator's leg, it was also effective to control the path taken by the operator's leg upon application of an external force to the vehicle such that the path is away from the steering device. The inventor also found that controlling the path of the leg in such a manner was possible by utilizing a pedal device provided on the vehicle.